A Falling Star
by Pudor
Summary: Cattie-brie and Drizzt share a moment remembering those lost but something interrupts.
1. Chapter 1

Closing her eyes, Cattie-brie listened to the southerly wind's mournful song as it gusted around her. She tilted her head back as it gently tugged on her auburn hair. A shiver came involuntarily as the wind forced her cloak open and stole her warmth. As she closed her cloak in an effort to regain some heat, Cattie-brie opened her eyes and, with the help the Cat's Eye circlet, she took in the nighttime landscape.

From her vantage point on Kelvin's Cairn, Cattie-brie could see the black waters of Lake Maer Dualdon to her right. During the winter months, which this far north was most of the year, the lake was a great source of food. Large fish could be had for those who knew the fine art of ice fishing.

Almost directly in front of her to the Southwest was the small city of Termalaine, the third largest city, and considered by many to be the most beautiful settlement in the Ten Towns. With its tree lined streets and elegantly sturdy buildings, she had a hard time disagreeing with popular opinion.

To her right was the forest known as the Lonely Woods. The hardwood forest lined the southeastern portion of Lake Maer Dualdon. The woods also housed the town which was called the Lonely Woods as well. Her friend Regis had been the mayor of that town once.

"It is not safe to be wandering the countryside at night." While Cattie-brie recognized the soft voice coming from behind her, she still reflexively gripped the hilt of sword.

"Aye," she agreed slowly. "That is why I am sitting here." She looked over and saw that her friend Drizzt was smiling as he settled in next to her.

Drizzt Do'Urden was a dark elf or a drow as they are more commonly called. Living deep underground, drow were known and feared by all and with good reason. Without mercy or compassion they enslaved or killed everyone they encountered. While most had never seen a drow in person, none would mistake the coal black skin and white hair as belonging to anything other than a drow.

Cattie-brie however was not afraid of this dark elf in the least. Drizzt had forsaken the ways of the rest of his kind. He was one of the most honorable people that she had ever met. He never hesitated to put the needs of others before his own, even going so far as to put himself in danger because that was what was needed.

She had known Drizzt for most of her life. Their first meeting had happened not very far from where they now sat. While she had been only eleven years old, a mere child, Drizzt looked exactly the same. He would still look the same even when she was an old woman on her deathbed.

"Ye think we should leave soon?" She asked glancing over at her friend. Seeing Drizzt looking towards the sky, she followed his gaze. The moon Selύne was full tonight and gleamed brightly in the night sky. The Tears of Selύne, the glittering trail that chased after the moon was also clearly visible tonight.

After a moment of silence, Drizzt answered, "The snows will be coming soon. If we do not leave soon we will have to wait until after the spring thaw." In the corner of her vision, Cattie-brie saw him turn towards her. "The decision is your however. We can stay or go as you please."

Lowering her gaze form the moon, Cattie-brie allowed it to settle back to the city of Termalaine. She noticed twinkling lights from a small group of torches. As she watched, she noticed that the group seemed to be traveling the perimeter of the city_. A patrol group most likely._

"I miss him, Drizzt," she said suddenly. There was no need to say the name out loud. She knew Drizzt would understand she was talking about Wulfgar, son of Beornegar. "I still have nightmares. Sometimes I see the rocks falling down and he disappears beneath them." Cattie-brie had to stop and blink away the tears that threatened to start flowing. "Sometimes the whole cave collapses and everyone is crushed." She gave up trying to fight the tears and just let them slide down her cheeks. "And… and sometimes I be in complete blackness, but I can hear him calling me. He be begging me to help him, Drizzt. Begging me, and there be nothing I can do!"

Burying her face in her hands, Cattie-brie openly sobbed. She didn't know how long she had cried, nor had she realized that Drizzt had put a comforting arm around her shoulder. Normally she would have thought letting herself cry would have been something akin to showing weakness. But this time, crying like that felt like letting go of some heavy burden she hadn't known she had been carrying.

"I know you miss him. I know you do, and I miss him too." Drizzt's voice sounded as though he was fighting back his own tears. "Actually, sometimes I wish I could take…"

Realizing that he wasn't going to continue, Cattie-brie turned his direction, wiping her eyes quickly as she did so. She had expected to find that Drizzt had been to overcome by emotion to talk. But when she found him slowly looking around with an intense looking of concentration on his face she immediately went on edge.

"What be wrong," she asked quietly. Instead of answering, Drizzt slowly rose to his feet, pulling the hood of his cloak off free from his head as he did so.

Also rising to her feet, Cattie-brie slowly scanned the area. "Did ye see something?"

"Listen," he replied so softly she almost hadn't heard him.

Closing her eyes, Cattie-brie _listened_. After first, all she could hear only the sound of the gusting wind. As she focused, she noticed the the sound of her hair blowing the breeze, then her own shallow breathing.

Then she faintly heard a low buzzing. It was so faint that at first she dismissed it as her imagination. But she realized that the sound was getting louder. Not so loud that it was obtrusive, but enough that she didn't have to try very hard to hear it.

"What be that?" she asked quietly.

"I do not know," Drizzt replied slowly. Then his arm suddenly shot out as he pointed to the sky. "There," he declared.

Looking up Cattie-brie immediately saw a tiny sphere of pale, blue light traveling through the night sky. At first she thought it was a falling star, but then it occurred to her that she had never heard a falling star making a buzzing noise before, or any other noise for that matter. Not only that, but this one suddenly changed direction and now looked to be coming towards them.

Coming in from the North, the light followed the eastern shore of Lake Maer Dualdon. It was moving incredibly fast, traveling most of the eastern shore in a matter of a few seconds. As it approached the Lonely Woods it slowed suddenly and glided just above the tree tops. Coming to a stop at the southern edge of the forest, the light stayed there for moment before it slowly descended behind the trees and disappeared from view.

"By the gods! What was that?" Cattie-brie asked and even as she did, she realized that she could no longer hear the buzzing.

"We will know soon," Drizzt replied just before he quickly set off down the side of the mountain.


	2. Chapter 2

Drizzt moved swiftly down the side of Kelvin's Cairn. He picked his path in an effort to not only descend the mountain as quickly as possible, but also to allow Cattie-brie to keep pace with him. While she was strong and very capable, he knew that she did not have the dexterity to navigate the quicker yet more challenging path he might have otherwise taken.

Stealing a glance towards the Lonely Woods, Drizzt saw that the strange light which had settled in the forest below had nearly extinguished. Nearly, but not completely. A soft, blue glow was still visible filtering through the trees.

Reaching the base of the mountain, Drizzt came to a large clearing known as Bremen's Run, vast stretch of land that was blessedly free of anything but short, hardy grass. The barbarian tribes and the occasional goblin horde that roamed Icewind Dale would sometimes use Bremen's Run to launch attacks on the city of Termalaine. Drizzt now used this clearing to charge the southern edge of the Lonely Woods.

Just behind his shoulder, he could hear Cattie-brie's steady breathing and thundering footsteps as she sprinted to keep pace with him. In the back of his mind, Drizzt felt concern for his friend. She was strong, capable, and brave, but they were racing towards a complete unknown. He briefly considered sending her back to dwarven stronghold beneath the mountain, but he dismissed that idea almost immediately. She would most likely never forgive him if she thought he was being overprotective.

Feeling fatigue starting to set in, Drizzt tried to slow their frantic pace. They still had a couple miles to go, and he didn't want them gasping for breath when they reached the woods. But Cattie-Brie apparently was more anxious than he was. She didn't slow in the least, in fact Drizzt was forced to resume his previous speed or be left behind.

When the light in the forest suddenly increased its intensity, Drizzt found himself coming to a stop. Vaguely he was aware that Cattie-brie had also come to a stop. He watched in awe as the light began to rise up through the trees. As it crested the tree line, he was at a complete loss as to what he was looking at. While it was difficult to make out through the painful radiance that stabbed his eyes, Drizzt saw that there was something large inside the light.

"It looks like a swine," Cattie-brie called out.

"What?" he asked skeptically. Drizzt tried to look again but the bright light made his eyes water and forced him to quickly look away.

Trying to hurriedly blink away tears, he felt as much heard that same low-buzzing noise that had grabbed his attention earlier. Finally, forcing himself to endure the pain caused by the bright light, Drizzt looked up. And he did just in time to watch the light shoot off like an arrow back in the direction it came from.

Standing there dumbfounded by what he had just seen, it took him several moments before he realized that someone was calling out to him. Peeling his eyes away from the now empty night sky, Drizzt was shocked to see Cattie-brie was again running towards the nearby forest.

"Wait!" he called out to her.

Without stopping, or even slowing down, Cattie-brie called back to him, "Come on! Hurry up!" And she didn't stop until she reached the tree line of the forest.

As she leaned against a tree to catch her breath, Drizzt moved to stand next to the woman. "Why are you in such hurry? Whatever that was is now gone." Studying her face, he noticed that Cattie-brie's eye were fixed in the direction the light had been. Deciding that she wasn't going to respond, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "Why did you say what was in that light looked like a swine?"

"Because it did," She stated matter of fact as she pushed herself off the tree. "It looked like a swine made of metal." After taking one final, deep breath, Cattie-brie started off again.

"But that does not make any sense," Drizzt stated as he started after his seemingly obsessed friend. "How could a swine be made of metal or even fly?"

"Ye saw the same thing I did, Drizzt," she replied over her shoulder.

Deciding that Cattie-brie was going to keep going with or without him, Drizzt moved to follow. It wasn't long before he caught the faint smell of burnt wood. After a few dozen paces, he came to a large clearing in the forest. The smell of smoke was now at its strongest and as he looked around, he noticed that the tops of some of the trees looked as though they had been set to the flame.

"Drizzt! Come here, I be needing yer help." Cattie-brie was kneeling near the center of the clearing, feeling gingerly at the ground.

He hesitated a moment before stepping into the clearing. As he did he felt as though some unseen eyes were watching him. Drizzt strained his senses as he tried to locate the source of his uneasiness. But try as he might, he couldn't see or hear anything that was out of the ordinary. _I have faced dragons and demons. I will not be afraid of an empty field._

Forcing himself to release his grip on the hilts of his scimitars, he immediately saw what Cattie-brie was so focused on. A depression roughly six paces long, three paces wide, and several inches deep. Kneeling down, he felt the sides of the depression noting how cleanly they went into the earth. "It was extremely heavy whatever it was," he proclaimed.

Rising to a low squat, Drizzt began to scan the surrounding area, his former uneasiness forgotten. As he moved around the clearing, he found another depression about thirty paces away. The new one looked much different from the first. This one was ten paces long and only a few inches wide. Then he noticed something that took him completely by surprise. Footprints.

"Tracks," he announced and immediately he heard Cattie-brie's footsteps coming towards him as he continued to examine the area.

"What manner of tracks?" the woman asked as she kneeled next to him.

Shaking his head slowly, he replied, "I do not know, but there are several different sets."

"Can ye tell which way they be going?"

Rising to his feet, Drizzt pointed in the direction of Kelvin's Cairn. He opened his mouth to suggest they follow the tracks when his thoughts suddenly scattered. Placing a hand to his head, he focused his will and forced order to his chaotic mind. "What was that?" he asked.

Turning to face Cattie-brie, panic tightened his throat when he found her lying unconscious on the ground, her gear scattered around her. Rushing towards her, Drizzt fell to his knees and quickly placed an ear to her chest. Tears threatened to blur his vision until he heard the rhythmic beating of her heart. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, he rocked back on his rump.

Suddenly his thoughts were once again scattered. This time however he felt the tell tail tingle of magic washing over him. Knowing what he was up against, Drizzt shrugged off the effects even faster. Growling in defiance, he pushed himself to his feet. _Invisible coward_, he thought as scanned the area.

His assailant was very persistent as he once again felt magic washing over him. This time however Drizzt was able to completely ignore its effects. Closing his eyes, he listened, straining his ears for any clue to his attacker's location. It didn't take long, before he heard what sounded like a boot kicking a rock.

Calling upon his innate abilities, Drizzt bathed an area to his right in _faerie fire_ and was rewarded to see the outline of an armored figure come into view. The figure wasn't much taller than he was and of similar build. Ripping his scimitars from their scabbards, Drizzt leapt to his feet facing his opponent.

Casually the armored figure looked down and regarded the magical flames that revealed his invisible form. "Well played, drow. I guess I should have anticipated such a maneuver." The figure's voice sounded male and had such a heavy accent that Drizzt had a hard time understanding what he was saying.

Drizzt watched warily as the flame enshrouded silhouette reached over and touched a finger to his left wrist. There was a brief shimmer inside the _faerie fire's_ outline and suddenly a black armored stranger was standing before him. Drizzt still couldn't see the man's face due to his helmet and visor which was filled with black, opaque glass. The man clapped his gloved hands together, and the _faerie fire_ suddenly winked out.

"What do you want?" Drizzt demanded.

As the man's visor lifted to regard him, he replied, "All I want is for you to _sleep_."

Drizzt again felt magic washing over him, but this time not only did he ignore its effects, he gave in to the persona that had kept him alive during the years he roamed the Underdark. He became the Hunter. And the Hunter cared only about survival and eliminating anything that threatened that. The stranger now endangered his survival, and the Hunter wasn't pleased.

With a savage growl, Drizzt charged.


	3. Chapter 3

Calling upon his innate ability, Drizzt summoned a globe of absolute blackness to engulf his opponent. A smile of grim satisfaction touched his lips as the stranger let out a cry of frustration. _Can you fight what you cannot see?_ Just before he entered the sphere of darkness, Drizzt leapt into the air, the tip of a scimitar leading the way.

An unseen force slammed into his chest, lifting Drizzt even higher into the air and sending him tumbling backwards. Recovering as he sailed through the air, the Hunter reversed his grip on his swords. Landing on his feet, he rammed the tips of his blades into the ground, bringing himself to a sliding halt.

Snapping his gaze up, Drizzt growled in frustration as he saw the darkness he had placed around the armored man had vanished. As the stranger quickly reached behind his back, the Hunter thought, _Must distract__._ Dashing forward, he once again summoned his innate abilities and caused four small, glowing spheres to appear directly in front of his opponent.

The spheres had the desired effect, and they caused the stranger to hop backwards. There was the rapid sound of metal slapping metal, and the armored man was suddenly holding a longsword that he swiped at the spheres with an awkward slash. _Amateur_. As the man's other hand emerged from behind his back, Drizzt saw that he was holding what looked like the hilt of a sword. Again there was the sound of metal slapping metal as a blade rapidly grew from the hilt.

Seeking to exploit the armored man's apparent opening, Drizzt lunged and sent his sword Twinkle thrusting towards his opponent's chest. The man's other blade slapped Twinkle aside, which placed both his swords off to one side as Drizzt had expected. But then with frightening quickness, the stranger stepped forward unexpectedly and slammed his helmet into Drizzt's face.

Dazed from the hit and his vision destroyed by tears, Drizzt staggered backwards. He kept his swords up in an effort to keep his attacker at bay. "Pathetic, drow. I thought your kind was trained to fight from birth." Snarling against the pain, he repeatedly blinked his eyes to rid them of tears.

Again came the wave of magic flowing over him, but it had no effect whatsoever. "You are a stubborn one,"

His vision cleared, Drizzt found that the stranger was standing casually a few feet away. In the back of his mind, Drizzt wondered why the man hadn't pressed his advantage, but the Hunter didn't care. Dropping into a fighting stance, the Hunter began to circle around the stranger who had also dropped into fighting stance and was moving to keep pace with Drizzt.

Stepping forward, Drizzt launched into a dizzying attack routine that forced the stranger back onto his heels. Even though the man was on the defensive, he never missed a beat, matching Drizzt swing for swing. Suddenly Drizzt realized that he had lost him momentum and was defending as much as was attacking.

Slowing he worked the stranger's defensive high, then quicker than he ever had done before, Drizzt initiated an attack known as the Double Thrust Low. During this attack the aggressor aimed both his weapons at lower abdomen or thigh area of the target. It's a very risky maneuver, but has the potential to end a fight immediately if successful.

The armored man quickly dashed to the left as he slapped Drizzt's scimitars to the right. But it wasn't enough. Drizzt felt one of his blades make contact with the man's right hip. The Hunter felt a tingle of morbid satisfaction at the stranger's grunt of pain. That satisfaction was short lived as the man's left fist connected solidly with Drizzt's cheek. The Hunter rolled with the strike, but he ended sprawling ungracefully on his back.

Snapping up into a sitting position, Drizzt barely managed to raise a scimitar in time to parry the man's savage overhead chop. Acting purely on desperation, Drizzt kicked out with all the might he could muster, aiming for the armored man's forward-most shin. His boot struck soundly against the stranger's greave. The strike in combination of the man's own momentum caused him to pitch forward uncontrollably.

Rolling out of the way and leaping to his feet, Drizzt fell back into a fighting stance. He was completely off guard when he found the stranger was chuckling as he picked himself up off the ground. "Why do you laugh?"

As the stranger rose to his feet, the sword he held in his left hand collapsed into itself. He placed the hilt out of sight behind his back and gave his arm a quick shake. After one last small laugh, he replied, "I am never going to hear the end of this." The man shook his head slowly. "And all because you _would not_ sleep. Very well then, I just want you to know that I truly do regret this."

Even as the stranger spoke Drizzt began to tense. His change of tone and stance just screamed impending attack to Drizzt's senses. When the man's empty hand shot out towards him, Drizzt was already in motion, diving to the side. As fast as he was to react though, he couldn't avoid the crackling, white energy that suddenly connected the stranger's hand to Drizzt's side. The pain was horribly intense but when Drizzt tried to scream he found he couldn't. In fact he realized that his body was totally ignoring his commands as he crumbled to the ground.

With the smell of burning hair filling his nose, Drizzt could do nothing but lay helpless as he listened to the boots crushing some dried leaves as they came closer. "I heard a saying once. _Mercy is the mark of a great man."_ The incredibly hard toe of one of the stranger's boots wormed its way underneath Drizzt shoulder and with a push, rolled him onto his back. "That has never been my style," the armored man continued. As the stranger moved to stand over him , Drizzt realized that even in the poor light he could see himself reflected in that awful black visor.

The seconds slowly passed before the man finally said, "But you should know that what I am going to do to the two of you is a mercy compared to what another in my group wanted to do to you." As he kneeled down, he placed a hand gloved with some coarse material on Drizzt's forehead. "This is going to hurt…a lot."

_This is it_, Drizzt thought sadly. A split second later white hot, pain erupted in his mind. Dimly he was aware of his back arching high off the ground. He wanted to scream but couldn't, his jaw was clamped shut. Images began to form in his mind. He saw the memory of walking up to Cattie-brie earlier, and the following conversation about Wulfgar. The memory carried on until he first noticed the strange humming, but there the image started to dissolve. _He is making me forget_, Drizzt realized. Desperately he fought to keep hold of the fading memory.

"You are only making this harder on yourself," the man stated, and the pain intensified into agony.

A strangled scream began to escape his throat as his will to fight collapsed. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, the memories of the night events began to fade from his mind. But then the pain suddenly stopped and the man's hand was gone. Drizzt panted heavily, relieved that the pain had stopped.

"You shot me in the back," the stranger cried indignantly.

"I missed," Cattie-brie declared coldly.

A lightning arrow fired from Cattie-brie's enchanted bow streaked across Drizzt's field of view. A split second later an explosion of blue-white sparks showered over him as the arrow struck something solid. Another arrow flashed and more sparks rained down on him. "Come out from behind yer magic wall, coward," the woman called out.

"Well this could have gone better," the man declared.


	4. Chapter 4

Cattie-brie stared hard at the armored man. She kept her enchanted bow, Taulmaril trained on the man, though she didn't fire, knowing that it would do no good. She had already fired two arrows at him with little effect. With the first shot, she had been too dazed to really aim. So the arrow had just glanced off his back. The second had exploded against an invisible wall about two feet in front of him.

"Drizzt?" she called out. Not getting a response, Cattie-brie began edging forward, not daring to take eyes off her enemy. "Who are ye?" she demanded. She wasn't surprised when the man didn't reply. He just stood there, watching her the way a predator watches its prey. Waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Coming to stand next to the drow's shoulder, Cattie-brie gently nudged him with the toe of her boot. "Drizzt? Are ye well?" Panic started to set in when she got no response. Twisting her bow sideways, she kneeled down. "Drizzt?" Even she could hear desperation filter into her voice. Glancing down, she was relieved to see the steady rise and fall of her friend's chest. His eyes were clamped tightly shut and she could see the shiny trail left by tears that had rolled down the side of his face.

"What did ye do to him?" Cattie-brie snarled as she whipped her back up. Panic flooded her body when she realized that the armored man was no longer there. Leaping to her feet, Cattie-brie frantically scanned the area; certain that the stranger was going appear and attack.

As the minutes stretched on without incident, she finally decided that she wasn't going to be assaulted. Cautiously she knelt back down next to Drizzt who had pushed himself up into a sitting position. Setting her bow to the side, she gently reached over a pushed the drow's white hair from his face. "What happened?"

Closing his lavender eyes tight, Drizzt inhaled deeply and shivered briefly. Many moments passed before he finally reopened his eyes and looked at her. "He was stealing my memories," he declared in a trembling voice.

"What?" The idea of losing her memories was a horrible concept. Those memories, both the good and the bad made her who she was. If she lost them, who would she be?

"I cannot remember anything between the time we were talking on the side of the mountain to the time I was fighting that man." Drizzt voice was gaining strength with every word he spoke. In fact, Cattie-brie heard the undeniable edge of anger by the time he finished.

"But why?" Cattie-brie asked.

When he turned to face her, Cattie-brie was taken aback by the rage building up in Drizzt's eyes. Never had she seen her friend like this before. "I do not know," he growled. "I have no idea how to find him now."

"We could follow the tracks ye found." From the look on Drizzt's face when he turned towards her, Cattie-brie could tell that he didn't know what she was talking about. Looking around to get her bearings, she found the place she was looking for. Pointing as she started forward, Cattie-brie said, "Here we be. Right before I blacked out, ye said ye found tracks and that they were heading back towards Kelvin's Cairn."

Immediately Drizzt set to scouring the ground. Cattie-brie could hear him mumbling to himself, but try as she might she couldn't make out what he was saying. "Drizzt," she said tentatively but he completely ignored her. After a moment, he jumped to his feet and reached into a particular pouch. From this pouch he produced an onyx figurine shaped like a panther.

Placing the figurine carefully on the ground, Drizzt called out, "Guenhwyvar, come to me." Dark vapors began to pour from the figurine. Slowly at first but increasing to a torrent, the vapors rose up away from the figurine and began to consolidate into a familiar feline form. The Black Panther named Guenhwyvar was so much more than a magically summoned animal. Those yellow eyes housed an intelligence and compassion that more than rivaled some humans that Cattie-brie had known. The big cat had been Drizzt's companion and friend since his days in Meznoberranzan, the city of his birth.

It took only a moment of being in the area before the cat was on edge. Ears flat against her head, Guenhwyvar issued a low, rumbling growl as she slowly looked around. Cattie-brie watched in silence as the drow retrieved the figurine and kneeled down in front of the cat. Placing his hands on either side of the cat's head, Drizzt looked the feline in the eye. "Guenhwyvar, strangers have come and I desperately need to find them. One of them has stolen some of my memories, and I do not know how much or for what reason. I need your help to find them; you can track them much more quickly than I could."

After only a moment of checking the ground, the great cat was off. Cattie-brie and Drizzt were forced to run hard to keep up.

As he ran, Drizzt struggled to fill in the gaps in his memory. Try as he might however, whatever had happened in the time between talking to Cattie-brie on the mountainside and fighting that armored man was simply gone. This more than worried him. What else could have been taken from him? Would he even know if anything had? Was there anyway of getting his memory back? The stranger would know, and he would tell Drizzt why he had done what he did. Most importantly he would tell Drizzt how to get back his memories. One way or the other.

Looking around, he realized that their path was going to take them to the far side of the mountain. _We are going to need help_, Drizzt thought. The armored man had fought like a demon and judging by the tracks there had been about fifteen or so individuals. _Not good odds_. "Cattie-brie. I want you to go back to the dwarves."

"Why?" she called back. Drizzt could tell by the tone of her voice that wasn't happy about the idea.

Coming to a stop, he motioned for her to do the same. "Guenhwyvar!" His call brought the cat to a halt. Turning to fully face the woman, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need help," he stated. "That one man I believe is at the very least my equal with the blade. He evidently knows magic on top of that. And that is just one man. I counted no less than fifteen separate sets of tracks. Now I intend to find and capture the man that stole my memories. And…"

"And for that we need help," Cattie-brie finished.

"Yes," he replied quietly.

As they stood there in silence, Drizzt could tell that the woman was torn. Going back for help was clearly the more practical choice. But staying and helping a friend was the more morally correct choice. As the moments slipped by, Drizzt was just about to make his argument again when Cattie-brie suddenly said, "Alright. I will go back, but ye are not to do anything foolish until I come back with help. How will I find ye?"

"It appears that they are heading to the far side of the mountain. After we find them I will send Guenhwyvar back to find you. Just be sure to stay along the base of the mountain. Be swift. I would hate to have all the fun without you."

As he turned to leave, Cattie-brie grabbed hold of his arm and forced him to turn back. Before he realized what was happening she reached over and kissed him hard. His shock lasted only a moment and soon enough Drizzt returned the gesture. As she pulled away from him, Drizzt barely heard Cattie-brie's whisper, "Be safe." Before he could reply, the woman turned on her heel and started back toward the dwarven stronghold.

Drizzt watched the woman for a time before he too turned to resume his chase. The sight of Guenhwyvar staring at him stopped him dead in his tracks. If hadn't know any better, he would have said that the panther was laughing at him. "What?" he asked suddenly feeling guilty.


	5. Chapter 5

Keileon Ta Macnóralas marched past the guards, barely even aware that they were there. This mission was beset with too many disappointments and multiple frustrations, and dealing with those halfwit morons was the absolute last thing that he wanted to do. His eyes were already locked on the partially exposed doorway in a deep enclosure that the excavation team was working quickly to uncover. _A bay door perhaps?_ The uppermost portion of the door reached twenty feet off the ground, and it stretched for some forty feet along the side of the mountain. Intricate and sweeping designs flowed seamlessly into one another as they cascaded the length of what seemed to be the door's frame.

"Is it done?" Keileon didn't have to turn to know who the speaker was. The very sound of that voice made his blood pressure spike.

Choosing to ignore the query, he replied with, "They are making very impressive progress."

"Indeed. The mark two variants of the Earth Evacuators are a significant improvement over the base model. Now, is it done?" The edge in Besnell's voice was undeniable.

"The excavation team needs to work faster," Keileon stated forcefully. "And the projectors need to be in place soon."

"You failed," Besnell spat in disgust. "You were the one who insisted that we keep our footprint on this planet to a minimum to 'avoid disturbing the native population'." Keileon was taken off guard when Besnell grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn and face him. Keileon was quick to recover though, and slapped Besnell's hand away. "And now because you are either unwilling or unable to do what is needed someone knows we are here." By the time his tirade had finished, Keileon could almost see Besnell's eyes glowing with anger behind the visor of his helmet.

Yanking his helmet off his head and tucking it under his arm, Keileon stepped in closer to Besnell. "Forgive me for not being willing to murder anyone and everyone that looks at me sideways."

"Do not pretend to be so self righteous with me. You seem to forget, I know all your little dark secrets." Rising up from behind Besnell's right shoulder was the black hilt of an ancient longsword, and set into the sword's pommel was a large, black onyx. As Besnell finished speaking the jewel flared slowly with a purple, inner light.

"Be that as it may. The two of you," Keileon reached up and flicked the onyx with his middle finger, "would do well to remember, that if not for me then you would not be here." He finished his statement by poking his finger into Besnell's chest.

"Are you implying that I should be grateful?" Besnell's eyes were now two orbs of fire burning behind his visor.

"Of what? Being a cheap _knockoff_."

Feeling eyes watching them, Keileon looked around and spotted Brea Walker and Simon Anderson watching them. They were the teams' archeologists and the ones who had funded much of the mission. Turning back to Besnell, Keileon whispered, "We will continue this discussion later."

"Oh yes," Besnell replied his voice dripping with venom.

Starting away, Keileon had to concentrate to keep his steps calm and measured. He came to a stop behind the excavation team. He watched as they slowly swept their equipment back and forth. Waves of golden energy gently washed away the untold centuries of dirt from the doorway that lay beneath. As more and more of the construction was uncovered, Keileon noticed that there were no seams or lines indicating separation of building materials. It appeared that the doorway and the door itself was constructed from a single piece.

Seeing that one of the excavators was forced to stop working to replace his equipment's power supply, Keileon approached. Just as the man was about to reengage his device, Keileon said, "Excuse me. Have you determined what that doorway is made from?"

The man seemed momentarily startled by Keileon presence. When he quickly reached up and tapped a small device mounted on his ear, Keileon realized that he must have been listening to music. "I'm sorry, Sir. What did you say?"

Reaching out, Keileon rapped his knuckles against the freshly exposed portion of the door. "Do we know what this is made from?"

"Uh yeah. It's some form of rhyolite."

Keileon frowned as he stepped back to let the man resume his work. _That is an incredibly hard stone_. Looking again at what had uncovered so far, Keileon didn't like the issue that was beginning to form. _This was supposed to be a doorway. But it is seamless. How can it be a door if it is seamless?_

Turning around, he walked to the area where all the gear was kept. Setting down his helmet, Keileon began to rifle through the heap. A brief search yielded his pack. Yanking it free from the pile, he tugged it open and began to rummage through its contents. Finding his holstered sidearm buried at the bottom, he took it out and pressed it against his right hip until he heard the _click_ of the holster attaching itself. Reaching back into his pack, he gently ran gloved fingers over the edges of his old leather bond journal. He started to pull the book free, but a voice from behind him made him push it back in.

"Mr. Ta Macnóralas?" He recognized the timid voice as belonging Brea Walker.

Closing the pack, Keileon retrieved his helmet and got to his feet. "Yes Ms. Walker?" As he turned to face the woman, he found her and Simon Anderson standing a few feet away. "Is there something I can do for the two of you?"

"What was all that about?" Simon asked forcefully as he gestured back toward Besnell. The man never beat around the bush about anything. Irritating ass.

Slipping on his helmet, he was forced to wiggle his head to keep the tall points of his ears from being folded painfully down. With his helmet finally on, Keileon regarded Simon quietly for a moment before he finally replied, "Family feud."

Besnell starred daggers into Keileon's back as he walked away. Forcing himself to look away, he swept his gaze over the area surrounding the dig site. Spying the tall frame of Graylor, the leader of the mercenary group hired to defend the dig; Besnell clasped his hands behind his back and started off toward the mercenary leader.

_You should kill Keileon_, sounded a voice in his mind.

_I would gain nothing anymore from his death._ Besnell had had this conversation many times over the last few years. It was not one he enjoyed. _And this is the last time I will tell you. Stop bringing up this subject!_

"Fangmaster," Besnell called out quickly to head off any more arguments.

The huge mercenary turned and immediately started forward stopping a few feet away. The guards were a species of cat-like humanoids called the Clatmere. Graylor was a textbook example of his race; big, fast, strong, and loved to fight: the perfect guards when going into the complete unknown.

Even standing as straight as he could, Besnell barely came up to the bottom of Graylor's chest. "Is the perimeter up?" he demanded. Rule number one when dealing with the Clatmere, show your dominance early.

Graylor issued a deep growl as he nodded his huge head. "Nearly. The Pack is setting up the last motion sensor now on the far side of the camp. Once that's done we'll know if anyone comes within one hundred meters from any direction."

Almost as if on cue, Besnell heard a faint beeping coming from inside Graylor's helmet. The mercenary whirled around and slammed the butt of his rifle against his shoulder. When a large black cat emerged from a nearby grove of trees, Graylor lowered his weapon.

As Besnell watched the big cat run off into the night, he heard Graylor comment, "The noise and lights of the camp must have frightened the predator from its den."

"Yes," Besnell slowly agreed. Turning his gaze to the grove, he reached out with his senses. At first he felt nothing, but as he focused he began to feel… confusion… curiosity. Then there was a strong sense of anger, but not a general feeling like the first two. No. This emotion was intently tied to something. "But what," he whispered to himself.

"Fangmaster Graylor," Keileon called as he approached. "Those projectors need to be going soon. Sunrise is in a few hours."


	6. Chapter 6

Drizzt was still having trouble understanding everything that he had seen over the last hour. He had followed the tracks and managed to find a camp setup against the side of the mountain. Climbing a tree in a nearby grove, he watched to find out who he was up against and see if he could get a feel for what was taking place.

There was the group of creatures that were obviously filling the roll of sentries, judging by the way they patrolled the edge of the camp. He had initially thought they were ogres due to their height and bulk. But he immediately dismissed this notion when he saw their double jointed legs. Their hands were also unusual, consisting of only three fingers and a thumb, and they were so large he was certain just one hand could easily cover most of his head. He couldn't make out any features due to their armor and huge helmets, but he could hear them speaking to each other and it wasn't anything like any language he had heard before.

Some were absolutely human, they didn't wear anything that covered their faces making them easy to identify. But since their clothing was completely unfamiliar, and with the variety of skin tones and complexions, Drizzt could not even begin to guess what land they hailed from.

Looking down towards Guenhwyvar at the base of the tree, he whispered, "Cattie-brie should be on her way back by now. Go and lead her to that large outcropping to the West of here." When the big cat seemed hesitant to go, he smiled reassuringly and said, "Do not worry. I will not do anything rash until you return." Apparently satisfied, the panther turned to leave.

Drizzt smiled after her for a moment before turning his gaze back to campsite. That's when he spied one of the towering sentries marching towards a much shorter individual. At first he thought it was the same man that he had fought earlier, for their armor was very similar. Then he realized that there was the hilt of a black sword rising up from behind the man's right shoulder. _The man I had fought had his swords placed on the back of his belt._

From the corner of his eye, Drizzt saw Guenhwyvar silently launching herself into the night. As he watched the two strangers conversing, the towering sentry suddenly spun himself around and dropped into a low crouch. The guard raised what Drizzt would have said was a crossbow, but it was missing the prod, threateningly towards Guenhwyvar. _How could he have known she was there? _Even when sprinting, the big cat was silent as death.

While the actions of the sentry were certainly noteworthy, it was the actions of the other stranger that caught Drizzt's attention. He wasn't watching Guenhwyvar as the sentry was. He seemed more interested in the grove of trees that Drizzt was hiding in. _What is he looking for? It is not possible he knows anyone is here._

Drizzt contemplations were cut short when the man he had battled earlier came stomping into view. Anger swelled in Drizzt as he gazed upon the man who had stolen his memories. He watched as the man talked forcefully to the much larger sentry for a time. After several minutes, the guard nodded his head respectfully and hurried off, calling out in a deep gravelly voice as he did so.

The black armored man turned to follow the guard, but stopped to say something other man who was continuing to stare at the grove of trees in which Drizzt was hiding. Finally the gazer nodded his head slowly and turned to follow.

Cattie-brie stifled a yawn with the back of her hand as leaned against a large boulder. Glancing towards the eastern horizon, she noticed that dawn was fast on its way as the sky turned a deep purple. How long had it been since she had any sleep? A day? Maybe a little more. Closing her eyes, she realized that it would be very easy to fall asleep standing up if she wasn't careful. _No_, she thought. Forcing her eyes to open, she gave her head a quick shake. _I will _wait_ for Drizzt_.

Hearing a rustle behind her, she turned her head and found that many of the dwarves that had come with her had curled under their thick cloaks and were fast asleep. With a sigh of longing she turned away. Looking down towards Guenhwyvar napping at her feet, she wondered how much longer the panther had before she _had_ to return to her astral home. Kneeling down, she laid a hand gently on the cat's large head. When she noticed that the Guenhwyvar's ears were twitching and turning with every sound, Cattie-brie decided that the cat wasn't actually sleeping. _She must be worried_, Cattie-brie thought.

"He will be fine," Cattie-brie whispered assuredly, but she wasn't really sure if it was to the cat or for herself.

Hearing the sounds of heavy footsteps, she looked over to see the dwarf known as Brann walking up to her. Brann had been one of few dwarves who had elected to stay in the Ten Towns area after much of clan Battlehammer had returned to Mithral Hall. He was close to Bruenor in age; he was among oldest of Battlehammer's and commanded a great deal of respect. He was also extremely grumpy.

"Drizzt needs to be hurrin up, Girl. We wait much longer; my beard will be fallin to sleep."

"He will be here when he be getting here," Cattie-brie replied sternly.

Guenhwyvar suddenly raised her head a split second before Drizzt said, "And I am here."

"Bout time, Drizzt. Ye mind telling me why we be out here before dawn." For some reason that Cattie-brie hadn't ever fully understood, Brann had never seemed over fond of Drizzt.

"Give him a moment, Brann," Cattie-brie scolded. Reaching down, she picked up a waterskin from the where her geared was piled handed it to Drizzt who accepted it with a grateful nod. The dwarf responded with an irritated wave of his hand as he turned away.

After taking a healthy pull from the waterskin, Drizzt kneeled down in front of Guenhwyvar who rose to meet the drow with a barrage of friendly licks to the face. The drow returned the affection by roughly scratching behind the cat's ears. Finally Drizzt grabbed the panther by the sides of the head and looked her in the eyes. " Go home Guenhwyvar." The cat stared intently at the drow, and Drizzt continued with, "You have been here too long already. But do not fear, if something happens I will summon you right away."

Cattie-brie watched as Guenhwyvar's form quickly dissolved into mists and disappear. When the cat was finally gone she looked up to Drizzt and said, "What did ye find?"

Running his fingers through his white mane of hair, Drizzt replied, "A small encampment on the north side of the mountain. Mostly humans. Their sentries are extremely vigilant and I dare say a little on edge. They took note of anything that ventured too close to their camp."

"So who they be? What do they be wanting?" Brann asked.

Drizzt shook his head slowly before answering. "I do not know. They speak a language that I cannot even begin to understand, and their gear is completely foreign to me. The only thing that I can say for sure is that they are digging into the side of the mountain, and they do not want to be noticed."

"How do ye know they do not want to be noticed?" Cattie-brie asked, and at the same time, Brann asked "Ye said mostly human. What be the rest?"

Drizzt looked at them both in turn for a moment before answering Cattie-brie first. "They are employing magic to make their camp invisible from the sides, but if you come in from the mountain above their camp they are still visible." Looking down to face Brann, he continued with, "I cannot identify the others in the camp. At first I thought they were ogres, but I just do not know."

Before Drizzt had even finished speaking, Brann had turned on his heel and stomped away. Striding into the middle of the troop of dwarves, Brann's voice boomed. "On yer feet boys!" While most of the dwarves quickly roused from their sleep, one unfortunate dwarf barely moved at the sound of Brann's wakeup call. Stomping up to the slumbering dwarf, Brann place a boot on the sleeper's shoulder and shoved roughly. "I said on yer feet ye lazy dog!" Ignoring the waking dwarf's protests, Brann turned his attention to the rest of the dwarves. "Listen up boys. We got humans and ogres tunneling into the side of _our_ mountain. Our home! Well we are not going to be letting em. Are we?" Cattie-brie heard a number of voices calling out denials, a few were rather obscene. "Gather yer gear boys. Cause we be moving out." Turning back to Drizzt, Brann hefted a large double headed axe onto his shoulder. "Lead the way, Drizzt."

Laying on her belly, Cattie-brie peeked her head over the ledge and gazed down at the camp some thirty feet below her. The sun was fully in the sky now so she no longer needed the aid of her magical circlet to see. A fact she was grateful for because while the circlet was an incredibly useful item, she often had trouble making out the finer details that she otherwise could.

A number of metal, domed shaped tents were arranged in a loose circle on the right side of the camp. Since there were no obvious flaps or way into the tents, she could only assume that someone was inside them. The only people she could see were just to the left of the tents. Four men were gathered around a makeshift table playing a card game of some kind. To the left of the card players was a trench that led into the mountain directly beneath her.

"Where be the rest of em?" Brann asked from his position to her right.

While he peeked over the ledge to left, Drizzt replied, "They must be in those metal structures."

"We should rush down and take those four by surprise." Brann wiggled an index finger in the direction of the card players. "Then we could storm the tents and take the rest of em."

"That be a long way," Cattie-brie commented doubtfully.

"Indeed," Drizzt agreed. After a moment he continued with, "I think I can sneak down there."

"And do what?" Brann asked. "One against four is not very fair."

"But it is a lot more fun," Drizzt said with a grin. "Brann, split the dwarves into two groups and have them come in from either side." Looking Cattie-brie in the eye, he told her, "I want you to stay here and provide us cover with your bow."

When she opened her mouth to protest, Drizzt silenced her by placing the tips of his fingers over her lips. "When I find the man I fought before I may need your help if things go poorly."

Looking into his eyes, Cattie-brie knew Drizzt well enough to recognize that he was worried. This in turn worried her. She could count on one hand the number of times she had witnessed her friend worried about going into battle. Normally he simply relied on everyone to instinctively fill their roll in any conflict, but this time he was asking her to do something specific. She couldn't remember the last time he had done that.

"I will not let you down," she whispered.

Smiling at her, he gently stroked the side of her face. "I know you…" The sudden sound of crackling energy and cries of alarm from the dwarves cut Drizzt short.

Whipping her head to the right, she looked just in time to see a large sphere of blue light and energy fading away. In its wake a number of dwarves were left sprawled unmoving on the ground. As the remaining dwarves scrambled to their feet, there was an eruption of light and crackling blue energy in the middle of five unsuspecting members of the troop. Cattie-brie watched in stunned horror as those five dwarves simply crumbled to the ground.

"Ambush!" Brann cried.

Regaining her senses, Cattie-brie grabbed her bow and hurriedly got her feet under her. As she began to push herself up, her head was suddenly jerked painfully back as something picked her up by her hair. Crying out in pain, she dropped her bow and threw her hands up behind her head. As her feet came off the ground, she caught hold of a huge hand and desperately tried to work her fingers inside those of her assailant. But it was no use, whoever it was had an iron grip and all she could do was hang on.

As her feet dangled uselessly beneath her, Cattie-brie found herself being turned around. After first she saw only an odd distortion in the air before her. But then the air shimmered and she suddenly found herself looking into the black visor of an incredibly large helmet. From inside the helmet, she thought she heard a deep growl very much like one Guenhwyvar would issue.

"No!" she heard Drizzt cry which was followed closely by roar from Brann.

Wrapping both her arms onto that of her attacker's, Cattie-brie kicked her foe as hard as she could in the groin. While she didn't get the full results that she had hoped for, she at least dropped the attacker to his knees with a howl of pain.

As soon as her feet touched solid ground, Cattie-brie released her hold with one hand to snatch a dagger from her belt. Frantically she stabbed her attacker's stomach, chest, and even the arm that held her. But her weapon could find no purchase.

With a very feline roar, the attacker wrenched her down to the ground with frightening strength. Gritting her teeth against the pain as her back slammed into the ground, Cattie-brie looked up to see her assaulter leaning over her with a huge fist raised high over his head. Just as his fist began to descend, Drizzt and Brann plowed into him and bore him backwards to the ground.

Finding herself free of the iron grip, Cattie-brie rolled away and scrambled to her feet. Snatching up her bow, she ripped and arrow from the quiver and set it. She looked back towards her friends just time to see them both being sent flying away. As she drew back the string of her bow, her enemy flipped himself over with lightning speed facing Cattie-brie. Letting go of the string, the arrow shot forward, bursting into silver and blue sparks as it cleared the bow. Lunging, grasping hands reached out for Cattie-brie, but the arrow from her bow proved more powerful as it smashed through the helmet's visor snapping the attacker's head backwards as it ripped through.

Twirling once in the air, the armored body landed in a heap only a few feet from Cattie-brie. But now that she got a better look at her attacker she didn't know what to make of it. The body was huge, it probably stood close to eight feet in height. It arms were nearly as long as Cattie-brie was tall. Its legs were double jointed with thighs nearly as wide as her shoulders.

_What are you?_


	7. Chapter 7

Standing behind the seated technician with his arms folded across his chest, Keileon watched the unfolding scene on the computer's holographic display and tried to project an aura of calm. However he felt his heart rate increase as another of the Clatmere mercenaries vanished underneath a pile of flailing dwarven limbs, swords, and axes. _That makes three_, he thought.

A second later Besnell's dispassionate voice announced, "Defender Six just flat lined."

Looking to his right, Keileon saw that Besnell was sitting at another computer station. There he had readouts of the vitals for all the mercenaries such as heart rate and blood pressure. He also had readouts on their armor and weapons; power levels and which functions were enabled. Lastly, there was a live video feed from each of the Clatmeres' helmet mounted cameras. These small cameras were controlled by sensors and motors that allowed them to track and follow the Clatmere's eyes.

When Besnell looked over and met his eyes, Keileon had a hard time repressing a shudder. Even after all these years, sometimes the sight of Besnell still caught him off guard. Looking at him was like looking into a mirror, albeit a dark reflection. Besnell's hair was longer, and there was that wicked scar that ran down the side of his face. But what Keileon found most disturbing was the seething hatred that always burned behind Besnell's eyes. _How easy it would be to be just like him…_

"Oh my god. Is that a human?" Looking over, Keileon realized that the speaker was Brea Walker. She was standing next to him, wearing a shocked expression with her hazel eyes locked on the video feed from the recon drone.

Snapping his eyes back to the display, Keileon saw the figure that the recon drone was focused on and realized that it was the same auburn-haired woman that had been with the drow at the landing zone earlier. "Uh oh," he said unintentionally. Realizing that all eyes were suddenly on him, he quickly continued with, "Recall the drone. Besnell, contact Fangmaster Graylor and tell him that he and his troops are to disengage and return to camp now." Turning away from the screen, he stepped over to a nearby table and picked up his helmet.

"Wait. What's going on?" Simon walked up to stand at Keileon's shoulder as he slipped on his helmet.

He waited a moment for the helmet to power up and come online before he turned to face the taller human archeologist. "We are abandoning base camp," Keileon stated casually.

"And do what?" Simon asked angrily. "The shuttle couldn't be here for at least an hour. What are we supposed to do? Run off into the wild? Those savages would catch us."

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Keileon looked up at Simon. "Quite right Mr. Anderson. The shuttle could not make it to us in time, and if we run we will be pursued."

Simon seemed momentarily at a loss for words. He quickly recovered however. "So what would you have us do? Fight with our bare hands?"

To his right, Keileon heard Besnell say calmly, "I know that you are engaged, Fangmaster. You and your squad do however have jump packs. I suggest you use them and jump off the cliff."

Pressing a button on the side of his helmet, Keileon activated his headset. "Attention, attention. As you might be aware we are having a slight… situation with the natives. As such we are abandoning base camp. Your orders are to grab any and all supplies that you can and meet at the archway that was uncovered earlier. Do not, I repeat _do not_ delay."

Both Simon and Brea began talking at the same time, but when Simon began poking him in the chest that was who he focused his attention on. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Slapping the man's hand away, Keileon felt his blood pressure spike. "Tread carefully, human. Or you might find yourself left out in the cold. Now to answer your question I plan to get everyone to safety by opening the arch and getting everyone inside."

"But we don't know what's behind the archway," Brea commented as she peaked out around Simon's shoulder.

"We know there is a rather large room with more than enough space to house the entire team," Besnell commented as he slipped his helmet over his head.

Throwing his arms out wide in anger, it was obvious that Simon was on the verge of losing control. In fact, Keileon noticed that his face was turning red and there was a large vein beginning to rise up in middle of the man's forehead. For a brief moment, Keileon wondered if Simon was going to lash out at him. When he finally decided that he wasn't going to have to put the man down, Keileon released his grip on his pistol. _I do not even remember reaching for that._

Making his way past Simon, he pushed open the door and found that the camp was already in full motion. People were rapidly stack crates and bags on to the hover pad even as a man began to guide the floating lift down towards the archway. As he started to follow the crowd, Keileon heard the sounds of the ensuing battle on the cliff above.

He glanced up just in time to see the first of clatmere mercenaries launching into the sky. The whine of the soldier's turbine powered jump pack drowned out dwarven battle cries. The sound of the turbine cut off as the soldier reached of the apex of his climb, sending him into a fall. For a moment it appeared that the mercenary was going to slam into the ground, but just before he hit,

his pack roared back into life, bringing his descent to a near halt. As Keileon walked past, the soldier disappeared in a cloud of dust as he touched down lightly.

Walking quickly down the path that led to the archway, Keileon heard the high pitched whine from the rest of the remaining defenders' turbines. He ignored the mercenaries landing on either side of him. It barely registered when the clatmere raised their energy rifles and started sending bursts of energy fire back towards the dwarves who were calling out insults and challenges.

His eyes were instead focused on the large archway that was made of rhyolite, one of the hardest and most unforgiving mediums someone could work with. Yet the archway that was exactly fifteen feet tall and twenty-five feet wide was perfect. While the lines that made up the arch were smooth, flowing, and elegant, the angles were a precise ninety degrees. Its sides were completely smooth and free of anything that even resembled a tool mark.

On both sides of the archway was a single ten foot tall statue. The effigies were that of humanoid females dressed in robed garments. Their hands were clasped at their waists and the amount of detail was incredible. Fingernails, creases in skin, veins, and tendons were all represented in prefect clarity. For all the beautiful detail in the statues, it was their faces that had made Keileon's heart skip a beat. Their features were sharp and fine with high cheek bones and large almond shaped eyes. Their ears were pointed and delicate and twice as tall as a human's. So much like his own.

A hammer's blow to his left shoulder brought him violently back to the present as he was spun in a tight circle before he finally ended up lying on his back. For a stunned second, all he could do was lay there and stare up at the sky. Regaining his senses, Keileon turned his head and saw a crossbow bolt had buried itself in the lower portion of the shoulder plate of his armor. "That was close," he muttered to himself.

Reaching over, he grabbed onto the bolt close to its wickedly barbed head. A quick jerk snapped the wooden shaft but didn't do much to dislodge the head. "Figures."

A large hand grabbed onto his right bicep and hauled him up. Before his feet even touched the ground, a deep gravelly voice growled at him. "Unless you have some brilliant plan, I am going to give the kill order. I will not lose any more of my people to these animals."

Pulling his arm free, Keileon looked up the side of the mountain and saw that some of the dwarves had lined up at the edge of the cliff. There some were firing or loading crossbows. It was then for the first time did he hear the cries of panic and alarm. Looking around, he saw that the men and women of the expedition were pressed tightly against the wall of the archway. On either side of him, the clatmere discharged their weapons in an effort suppress the dwarves.

Throwing up his arms, Keileon willed the air between the dwarves and the expedition members to solidify. As the air over the entire width of the archway quickly hardened, he watched as crossbow bolts clattered harmlessly on the top side of the new wall. Bolts of energy from the clatmeres' weapons struck the underside of the wall also with little results.

"Besnell, if you would. Make an opening in the arch."

He watched as Besnell quickly moved up to the smooth stone that filled the archway. At first it looked as though he was simply standing still before the wall. But then Keileon noticed that Besnell's hands were tightly balled into fist and his arms were starting to shake with tension. The wall however remained unchanged.

Looking up, Keileon saw that the dwarves were already starting to pick their way down the sides of the arch's enclosure. Then he spied the scimitar wielding drow stepping out from behind a large bolder. His blades were stained with the dark blood of the mercenaries and his face was mask of anger as he stared at Keileon.

"Graylor!" Keileon called as he pointed at the drow. In the corner of his vision, he saw the large soldier spin around and raise his weapon as he dropped to one knee. A beam of green light momentarily flashed into being, connecting the end of the Fangmaster's rifle to the bolder that was next to the drow. The scorched rock hissed angrily as the drow darted back behind it.

"Reloading!" Graylor bellowed.

Keileon looked down as the mercenary quickly loaded another power cell into his weapon. A counter on top of the rifle indicated that the weapon now had its full complement of shots. As Graylor brought his weapon back up to his shoulder Keileon thought he heard someone yell, "Look out!" Whatever the warning was however, it came too late.

A blue-white streak slammed into the side of the Fangmaster's weapon. For a fleeting moment nothing happened and Keileon thought there was an arrow buried deep in the rifle. Then he heard an odd high pitched whine just before the weapon exploded.


End file.
